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"Mean girls" syndrome studied

Jamie
Ostrov looks at why girls turn to a different type of relational
aggression

Published: May 5, 2005

By IRENE LIGUORIReporter Contributor

It's no accident that Jamie M. Ostrov holds a third-degree black belt
in karate and also specializes in relational aggression.

Never a
victim of school-yard fisticuffs himself as a boy, Ostrov, an assistant
professor of psychology, began training in martial arts at a young age
and continued it into adulthood. Through the years, he has observed that
boys who display aggressive behavior often wind up being referred to a
martial arts studio to learn why fighting and hitting should only be a
last resortnot a first response.

Jamie Ostrov believes that some of the
relational aggression behaviors that lead to problems for girls in their
teen years begin as early as age 3.PHOTO: NANCY J. PARISI

"The discipline and structure and skills are very empowering," notes
Ostrov. Now, the newest member of the Department of Psychology
facultyand its only developmental psychologist at presentis
using his talents to study young children and find out why girls
turn to a very different kind of relational aggression.

He and
other researchers also want to discover effective, empowering tools to
help girls combat somewhat invisible, but brutally damaging,
opponentsgossip, reputation-bashing, social exclusion and
boyfriend swipingthat can turn adolescence into an emotional
land mine for young women. This is the so-called "mean girls" syndrome
that has captivated the media's attention in recent years.

It is
the contention of cutting-edge researchers like Ostrov that some of the
relational aggression behaviors that lead to problems for girls in their
teen years begin as early as age 3.

"We want to understand what
might be causing these behaviors and how best to stop them,"
Ostrov says.

He recently presented some of his most current research
at the meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development in
Atlanta, where he cochaired a symposium and presented a paper,
"Relational Aggression and Friendships During Early Childhood: 'If You
Don't Give Me That, I Won't be Your Friend.'"

Ostrov's paper
appears as part of a major new body of research in a special issue of
"Early Education and Development," which he edited along with Nicki R.
Crick of the University of Minnesota. Ostrov is particularly excited
because, he says, the issue almost doubles the body of research on
relational aggression in young children.

Ostrov serves as a
consultant for a project funded by the National Institute of Child
Health and Human Development, for which Crick is principal investigator,
called "Transition to Kindergarten and Relational Aggression." He also
served as project director for a three-year investigation with Crick
called "A Longitudinal Study of Relational Aggression in Preschool,"
funded by the National Science Foundation.

Aggressive behavior in
girls from ages 3 to 5 tends to be more direct, but by early adolescence
it starts becoming much more covert, Ostrov says. He notes that girls
who are victims of this behavior are more likely to demonstrate symptoms
like depression, anxiety and academic problems.

How can girls
break out of this mode? Ostrov says a number of people have rushed
forward to propose intervention strategies, but he is concerned that
some of them may be premature.

"Much of the popular press has
really picked up on this problem," Ostrov says. "But we currently don't
know enough about these behaviors to attempt some the strategies being
proposed. We need to be cautious that we don't go into some of these
strategies without research guiding us."

Girls who exhibit
something called "hostile attribution bias" sometimes have a tendency to
engage in relational aggression, Ostrov says. A girl might walk down a
hallway and see two of her peers whispering and laughing as she
approaches. She might jump to the conclusion from this ambiguous
situation that she is the object of their ridicule. How do you teach her
new, positive ways to deal with such situations?

While at the
University of Pennsylvania working on his master's degree in
psychological services, Ostrov says he witnessed one of the first
interventions for relational aggression designed by Steve Leff. Called
the "Friend to Friend Project," the 16-week course involved young
people, teachers, playground monitors and parents. Ostrov hopes he and
his colleagues at UB will design an intervention program based on
research that takes place here.

Ostrov obtained his bachelor's
degree summa cum laude from Colgate University, and a graduate
certificate in applied developmental psychology, an M.S. and a Ph.D. in
child psychology, all from the University of Minnesota's Institute of
Child Development.

A native of Albany, Ostrov wanted to come back
to New York and to UB because "this is truly the flagship research
institute in the state," he says. He was attracted specifically by the
university's Center for Children and Families, which is a leading
research center nationally for behavioral problems among children.

Ostrov says he been tremendously impressed with the quality of
graduate students he's encountered in the psychology department since
arriving last fall.

"They are very inquisitive, have good
research skills and are really motivated to help people," Ostrov says.
"The department is doing a good job of preparing scholar/practitioners."
He currently supervises 10 undergraduate students who he is guiding
through honors research projects. "I've been inspired by them," he
says.

Ostrov and his wife, Robin, who works for Delaware North,
live in Amherst.